Govt urged to halt road project<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reiterated
\ntheir demand on Tuesday for the government to cancel the
\ncontroversial Ladia Galaska road project in Aceh due to its
\nadverse impact on the environment.<\/p>\n
\"We made the appeal once again amid reports that three
\nministries had agreed to proceed with the project,\" Indro
\nCahyono, director of the Workers Union for the Conservation of
\nIndonesian Forests (Skephi), was quoted by Antara as saying,
\nfollowing a meeting with State Minister of the Environment
\nRachmat Witoelar.<\/p>\n
The government decided two weeks ago to resume the
\nconstruction of the 470-kilometer Ladia Galaska highway, but will
\ncreate a new route that will not cut through the pristine,
\nprotected forest and conservation areas. The decision was reached
\nduring a meeting between Minister of Public Works Djoko Kirmanto,
\nMinister of Forestry M.S. Kaban and State Minister of the
\nEnvironment.<\/p>\n
According to the new plan, the project will not go through the
\n45-kilometer section connecting Pinding and Lokop, located in the
\nmiddle of the Leuser Ecosystem, as originally planned.<\/p>\n
As an alternative, they will construct a road connecting
\nPeurelak.<\/p>\n
The government has maintained that the Ladia Galaska highway,
\nwhich will link the west and east coasts of the province, is
\nexpected to stimulate economic activity in the province's western
\ncoastal areas.<\/p>\n
But environmentalists in Indonesia and abroad have been
\nconcerned about the adverse effects of the project, which was
\nstarted in 2002, cut through a large swathe of the delicate
\nLeuser Ecosystem.<\/p>\n
They also doubted the economic benefits of the project as it
\nwould only pass through villages a with limited number of people.<\/p>\n
The NGOs also said on Tuesday that the resumption of the
\nproject would open the way for people to illegally cut down
\ntimber in the protected forest areas and hunt down protected
\norangutans as well as other species.<\/p>\n
\"After the tsunami, there will be another environmental
\ndisaster (if the project is continued). So we appeal to the
\nState Minister of the Environment to halt the project,\" Indro
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The activists had also launched an international campaign to
\nput pressure on the Indonesian government to abandon the project,
\ncalling on foreign donors to stop the disbursement of funds for
\nthe reconstruction and rehabilitation of Aceh until the
\ngovernment improved on its commitment to protect the environment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Greg McDonald of the Sumatra Orangutan Society
\nclaimed that the organization had collected signatures from
\napproximately 80,000 people from 40 countries, appealing to the
\ngovernment to drop the project.<\/p>\n
He added that the organization had also sent a letter to
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with a similar plea.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the President realizes that the Ladia Galaska project
\nhas become an international issue,\" he said, describing the
\nproject as a vandalism against the environment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-urged-to-halt-road-project-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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